Former Tory leader urges Nadhim Zahawi to ‘clear up’ questions over tax affairs | Politics News

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has urged Nadhim Zahawi to reveal full details amid controversy over his tax affairs – as the struggling party chairman fights for political survival mine.

Labor has called for the cabinet minister to be sacked after he admitted to having paid the settlement to HMRC after a tax error related to shares in YouGov.

Mr. Zahawi issued a statement on Saturday to “resolve some of my financial confusion”, but it raised more questions, including whether he negotiated the dispute while in office. in the last days of the Johnson administration or not.

On Sunday morning, Foreign Minister James is smart told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday’s show that he knows nothing more about the situation than what’s in his colleague’s statement.

“I’m not an investigator,” he said when it was assumed he was there to speak on behalf of the government.

Mr Zahawi did not disclose the size of the deal – believed to be estimated at £4.8m including 30% fines – or confirm whether he will pay the fine.

Asked if he should release this information, Mr. Cleverly said: “People’s taxes are a private matter. I know that as politicians we are, quite rightly, in the right place. expect a higher level of disclosure perhaps others can do.

“Nadhim released a statement in which he admitted that he committed a careless foul, which has now been resolved.”

However, senior supporter and former Tory leader Sir Iain has a different view.

He told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “You can get the facts out as soon as possible, instead of letting them come out in stages.

“I would say to him, let’s deal with it all now, whatever you have to do, and clear it up.”

He added: “I don’t believe he cheated in any way.”

Zahawi .’s Tax Matters Report began to emerge when he was appointed prime minister by Mr Johnson last summer.

He denied allegations that he evaded taxes by using a Gibraltar-registered offshore company to hold shares in the voting company YouGov he co-founded.

swirl question after a post in Sun on Sunday last week, claimed that Mr Zahawi had paid a seven-figure sum to end a dispute with the tax officer “after a thorough review of his family’s financial affairs”.

In his statement last night, Mr Zahawi said his father took the shares of the YouGov founder and HMRC then “did not agree on the correct allocation”, which resulted in him “resolving the issue and paying the price”. what they say is due”.

Mr Zahawi said he had committed a “careless and unintentional error”, but opposition parties have demanded an independent investigation and the release of all Mr Zahawi’s correspondence with HMRC.

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Pat McFadden, the Treasury Department’s chief secretary, told Sophy Ridge: “It’s hard for Mr. Zahawi because the problem with this is what we’ve been asked to believe.

“We were asked to believe he had £27m worth of property that he didn’t actually know was his, and therefore didn’t actually know the tax to be paid on it.”

He said “perhaps all politicians” should release their tax returns – a view shared by former shadow chancellor John McDonnell.

PM faces calls to ‘clean up’

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was also urged to “clarify” about what he knew when he appointed Mr Zahawi as party chairman in October.

Mr Cleverly asked the Prime Minister not to discuss the “foreign affairs” of ministers during appointments and that the Cabinet Office’s role was to conduct due diligence on his behalf.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, wants Downing Street to release all correspondence ahead of Mr Zahawi’s various government appointments to clarify whether he was prime minister at the time of the settlement and resolve like how his conduct aligns with the Code of Ministers.

She accused Mr Sunak of “failing to live up to the integrity, professionalism and accountability he promised” when he became prime minister.

She added: “It’s his responsibility to clean up his scandalous cabinet by outlining the steps he has taken to ensure that all the ministers’ tax affairs are in order. themselves, stamping out poor tax behavior and providing reassurance to the public.”